Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: stevelyon

CEOs of some of the world’s most prominent companies are floating the idea that the U.S. “consider raising taxes on gasoline,” according to Real Time Economics on The Wall Street Journal Online.

Idea “Tucked Away”

The idea, which according to Journal editors was “tucked away” in a proposal on long-term tax policy, came about during a two-day session this week in which nearly 100 CEOs of global companies gathered to define the priorities they believe President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress need to tackle when they take office in January. (Finance and the U.S. economy; energy and the environment; health care; and America’s role in the global economy were the four key issues the CEO Council discussed, underscoring that there will be no dearth of work Obama’s administration will face.)

Proponents of raising the gas tax say that it will lower gasoline consumption, encourage both the production and market for fuel efficient vehicles, lower imports, and decrease polluting emissions.

Critics argue that increased taxes unfairly burden consumers, especially the poor, and that reduced consumption hurts industry. (I haven’t found anyone yet that says pollution is good, but I’m sure there’s someone out there!)

Support Gaining Steam?

Raising the gas tax, of course, is nothing new. But until now its support has been limited. Because most Americans are dependent on cars to get to work, school, and every else, opponents have been able to build a broad coalition that makes politicians think that championing the cause would be certain political death.

But now something different is happening. There is an increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of energy use, economy, the environment, and public health. And when CEOs of companies that collectively employ 5.9 million people and $2.2 trillion in annual revenues say officials should consider raising the gasoline tax, my bet is that this idea won’t go away quietly this time.

The Wall Street Journal will report results of the CEO Council Monday, November 24, 2008.

More resources:

The Wall Street Journal CEO Council:
https://ceocouncil.wsj.com/index.html

photo credit: WTL photos

A recent article published by the Los Angeles Times about Air New Zealand’s new eco-conscious initiatives has gotten me really excited about the future state of air travel and its impact on the environment.  

The carrier has developed new technology and procedures in tandem with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to save fuel and cut down on carbon emissions on each flight.  They are experimenting with various alternative fuel sources and are planning to fly a Boeing 747 partially powered by jet fuel refined from the seed of the jatropha weed plant later this year.  Air New Zealand is aiming to use these alternative “biofuels” including fuel refined from algae for approximately 10% of its needs by 2013.

Air New Zealand has also begun installing electric blow dryers in the ceiling of its planes, enabling the reduction of cabin condensation that can weigh down an aircraft with more than 440 pounds of water, thereby allowing each aircraft to cut down its fuel usage.

While New Zealand may not be on top of your list as a vacation or business trip destination, the airline is raising the bar for other airlines in the battle to cut down on carbon emissions across the aviation industry.  And by the way, Air New Zealand has a service route between Los Angeles and London - something to consider the next time you are booking a flight into Europe, whether you are flying to London or stopping over for a connecting flight.

In the mean time, for those of you that rely on air travel and are worried about your carbon footprint, there are several organizations that you can donate to that invest in “clean energy” projects to off-set carbon emissions:

CarbonFund.org - Calculate your carbon footprint for a particular trip and then donate the specified amount of money needed to offset that amount of carbon emissions.

e-BlueHorizons.com - They will donate 50 percent of the net proceeds from your transaction to The Conservation Fund.

TerraPass.com - In addition to flights, you can purchase carbon offsets for home energy and dorm rooms.